


Forget Me Not

by TheHomestuckWhovian



Series: Myosotis [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cursed AU, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, forgotten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 21:06:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8505361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomestuckWhovian/pseuds/TheHomestuckWhovian
Summary: There Keith was, surrounded by all his friends, a picture of total contentment. At least, he would be, if something weren't missing.
Keith agrees to test a spell for his brother's best friend and discovers a vaguely familiar boy who no one can remember. What follows is a series of magical shenanigans that will either be tragic or entertaining as hell.





	1. Incredibly Gay Thought of the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Decided to make this multiple chapters simply so I could avoid deletion.

Keith Kogane sat in the booth of the restaurant, sipping his coffee as he observed the scene he was part of.

Pidge and Hunk were planning what seemed to be a giant robot across from him, discussing parts and programming. To Keith, it was if they were speaking another language. Beside him, trapping him in the booth, Shiro was being playfully teased by Allura while Matt sat across from them, laughing and contributing his own comments. Shiro, embarrassed, was attempting to hide his face behind his hands. Coran, the usual server and family friend of Allura's, was offering advice to Hunk and Pidge. All of them were allowing Keith a moment of quiet, allowing him to enjoy the company without feeling obligated to speak.

There Keith was, surrounded by all his friends, a picture of total contentment. At least, he would be, if something weren't missing.

He looked around the restaurant, wondering what was missing from the usual formula. He was certain he didn't feel like this yesterday. What had changed?

He suddenly made eye contact with a boy looking through the window, blinking in surprise. The boy's longing expression shifted to surprise and maybe hopeful? Keith couldn't tell. The boy was vaguely familiar, but Keith couldn't figure out from where.

"Keith, do you want a refill?" Coran asked, drawing Keith's attention.

"Uh...yeah, that sounds good!"

"What were you staring at?" Pidge asked, giving him a strange look.

Keith opened his mouth to speak, then blinked, confused.

"Uh, nothing? I didn't notice."

"Staring off into space?" Hunk asked.

Keith shrugged helplessly, nodding.

What had he been staring at?

* * *

It was over a year later, and Keith was tired as fuck.

He had woken up the night before after about two hours to Shiro having a nightmare. He and Allura both stayed up the rest of the night to comfort him. Keith could have taken off work, since his boss was Hunk's aunt and she was cool about stuff like that, but he refused to let Shiro see he was tired and inevitably blame himself for it.

Hunk was at the register, taking a boy's order and going to make the drink, asking Keith, "Have you heard from Pidge today?"

"Matt's birthday," Keith reminded the larger boy, causing him to wince.

"Shoot. I forgot. Do you think she's going to be okay?"

"Probably not."

Hunk finished the drink, looked at it for a second, then looked up.

"Whoops. I must have made this while I was distracted. What do you think we should do with it?"

Keith was exhausted, and the only thing keeping him from just taking the drink for himself was the ridiculous amount of syrups that Hunk had pumped into the concoction. He enjoyed sweet stuff as much as the next person, but that many syrups was disgusting.

"Uh, just give it to a customer I guess?"

Hunk ends up giving it to a boy before going back to the conversation.

"Do you think we should go see Matt today?"

Keith nodded, noting, "Pidge probably shouldn't be alone today."

* * *

"Am I going to lose my eyebrows again?" Keith asked, raising an eyebrow at Allura.

She shook her head, promising, "No. This spell has no offensive capabilities, so it is less likely to have such a violent reaction. It is merely to resist magical spells."

"Why test it on me?"

"You are surrounded by a strange variety people every day at the coffee shop. It isn't outside the realm of possibility that you encounter glamours and minor persuasive powers every day."

"And?"

Allura sighed, adding, "Hunk doesn't trust me after a spell left him violently ill."

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Thankfully, the only side effect was that he smelled weirdly like strawberries, though he was able to play it off as Allura playing a prank on him when Hunk asked.

She had not been wrong about the customers though. While most looked the same, the family that came in every week for hot cocoa and a treat all had third eyes on their foreheads and the tiny girl who cursed like a sailor and drank way too many espresso shots had a pair of golden wings that were translucent and sparkled in a certain light.

He found himself learning about regulars who attempted persuasion spells on him for free drinks or food, jotting down a list for the future reference. Minor persuasion could be resisted through awareness, and apparently magic resistance spells.

He made himself some tea to enjoy for his break, and sat in a relatively secluded area, sipping as he read a book Pidge had lent him.

"Is your mom a baker?"

Keith gave a withering look to the source of the question, answering, "If you tell me I have nice buns, this tea will end up on your face."

The boy, who he allowed himself to consider cute for a moment, raised his hands in surrender, clearly not wanting to be covered in hot tea, and noted, "Yeah, that one is particularly terrible." He then grinned, adding, "I'd rearrange the alphabet-"

"-to put U and I together," Keith finished with a blank expression, sipping his tea. "And I'm going to assume you're going to ask for a Band-Aid now?"

"...Damn. You're good at this."

"Experience," he answered with a shrug. But no real instances of those pick-up lines being used came to mind. Strange.

"Um...I want our love to be like pi."

"Irrational and never ending."

"Are you a broom?"

"Because I've swept you off your feet."

"I can recite the alphabet."

"Don't bother. You're going to skip U, R, Q, and T."

"Jesus. Um, last one. Can I have your picture?"

Okay, this one Keith was stuck on. He lowered his book and gave the boy a questioning look as he asked, "Why?"

The boy grinned, answering, "I want to show Santa Claus what I want for Christmas."

"...That was pretty terrible."

"Bet you can't top that."

Fuck.

As someone who rarely passed up on a challenge, Keith scoured his brain. Whatever part of his brain knew the endings to all those pick-up lines must have some he could use.

At the very least he wanted to see if this boy could take what he insisted on giving.

"If I were a stop light, I'd turn red everytime you passed by, just so I could stare at you a bit longer."

"...Fuck." The boy hid his face with his hands. "I was not expecting that."

Keith snorted, asking, "Was there anything in particular you needed?"

"You beat me at my own game, fucker."

"Not really. You just are more easily flustered than I am."

"Shut up!"

There was no bite to this part of the discussion. Keith merely shrugged with a smirk, going back to his book.

The boy sighed after a moment, flopping down into another nearby chair. Keith looked up.

The boy's flustered expression had passed. He looked tired and lonely. That look you get when just everything just piles onto your emotional state and you feel trapped under the weight, unable to get freedom from that prison.

Keith wanted to get that sad look off his lovely face.

_Okay, and that was Keith's Incredibly Gay Thought of the Day, brought to you by pick-up lines and depression._

"Are you okay?" Keith asked, hoping the boy didn't notice the slightly embarrassed blush on his face from his new addition to his series of stupidly gay thoughts.

And that was when the boy looked at him, smiled a sad, lonely smile, and told him six words.

"It sucks that you'll forget this."


	2. Magic Sucks (And Other Life Lessons)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith recruits Allura and Pidge to help him figure out the mysterious guy he keeps seeing and forgetting about.

_"It sucks that you'll forget this."_

Six words.

Six words was all it took to send Keith's life sideways.

Well, seven if you split the contraction, but Keith didn't particularly care about that at the moment.

He wasn't sure whether to thank Allura for testing the charm on him or to curse her (not literally) for putting him through this.

Despite what the boy, whose name he didn't even know, had said so sadly that day, he had not forgotten. The spell that protected him from persuasion spells and let him see through glamours also allowed the boy's presence to have remained in his mind.

The spell had faded soon after those six words. He couldn't remember if he had asked for an explanation. He couldn't remember if he asked the boy's name. He couldn't remember the boy leaving the coffee shop.

The time between those six words and returning from his break were a blank.

A blank he wouldn't have noticed if not for the memories retained thanks to Allura's spell.

It had been a week and he still hadn't completely righted himself. He found himself looking for the boy at work, but never seeing him.

But that wasn't true, was it? Hunk had to give another drink he had made away. He did that nearly every day. There were never any discrepancies in the sales, meaning the someone had to be paying for them.

He made the decision to write tallies on his skin when he noticed the boy, in true Whovian fashion, and in the first day found five marks on his wrist. A week later, and Keith was wearing long sleeves to work so no one would see the marks and think he was a lunatic.

The scariest thought was that he had maybe once known this boy. It wasn't impossible. Seeing a person five times in one day meant they probably interacted more than just Keith serving them drinks. Besides, the boy had attempted to use a pick-up line on him, indicating some awareness of his sexuality.

Forgetting someone you knew, perhaps even were friends with, was very stressful.

* * *

He noticed other odd things about all this.

He found that detailed descriptions and sketches intending to represent him would be unconsciously scribbled out, making them effectively useless.

He brought up the instance to Pidge, who agreed to do research. An hour later, Pidge had completely forgotten what he had asked her to do.

Hunk's mysterious drinks actually had names on them, but he always managed to put them where they would be covered by the heat sleeve. Not real names though. He was pretty sure even Death Eaters wouldn't unknowingly make some coffee for Voldemort.

Tally marks were growing exponentially. His arm was practically covered in small lines now. Soon he'd either have to switch arms, or skip the marks and go to writing notes.

All in all, this Man in the Tan Jacket situation was kind of annoying.

He was going to need to recruit Allura for this.

* * *

"So, what do you think?"

Allura sat across from him at the small coffee table, taking a sip of her tea as she considered the situation.

"This must be a powerful curse," she decided after a moment. "Unfortunately, the very nature of the curse makes it hard to investigate. I could cast a charm on you to help you figure out the source, but casting the magic resistance spell could negate it or cause both to cancel each other out. Perhaps Pidge could create something for us?"

"I'll try talking to her again," Keith decided, finishing writing and giving the paper to Allura.

She looked at it oddly and he explained, "Pidge forgot the first time. This way you'll remember."

"Of course." Allura nodded, taking another sip. "I hope this will distract Pidge," she admitted. "She recently finished creating that computer program she was struggling with. I don't want her to be idle and go on a downward spiral."

Keith understood. Pidge had not been in a good place since the accident. He couldn't compare her pain to Shiro's, because there was a difference between their experiences, but what happened to Matt had hit her hard.

He understood. If Shiro had suffered the same way in that accident, he'd be looking for answers that weren't there, trying to find a reason why it was his brother.

"I'll talk to her sometime today," he promised.

"Good. Well, I've left Shiro in charge of my shop for long enough. I'd hate for someone to ask the ingredients required in a truth potion and for him to just stare at them."

"Yeah, you should probably run."

* * *

"Holy shit. Are you serious?"

"Yep."

Pidge adjusted her glasses, taking what Keith had written down, and noted, "So, according to Allura, casting the two spells on you could negate one or both of their effects? Simple then. We just cast the magical resistance spell on you, and create another method of detecting the magic cast on him. You can write down the results after using it. For scientific purposes, we need to do it multiple times, just to make sure the method works consistently. I need to see if the spell gets less effective after multiple castings."

Keith blinked as Pidge immediately started gathering supplies, rambling about spells and components she'd need for the device. She seemed more involved than usual.

"Are you alright?" Keith asked, causing Pidge to freeze.

She stared at the supplies, took a deep breath, and answered, "Matt."

"Oh."

"They are telling Mom and Dad to be prepared for..."

She turned her attention back to him, insisting, "Don't tell me I shouldn't help with your thing because of this. I need the distraction. Besides, this boy you are talking about is going through something incomparable to pretty much anything I'm going through. It's fine. Working helps me keep it together."

Keith nodded, wishing he wasn't too awkward to be much help.

"Does Shiro know?"

"No," Pidge answered. "I'm not going to tell him unless it's inevitable. It isn't right now. Just a set back."

* * *

The device was a small addition to his glasses, which he normally didn't wear in favor of his contacts. It was camera that was modified to take pictures when Keith pressed a button in his sleeve. The camera was enchanted to detect spells, courtesy of Allura.

Keith was concerned about how they were going to get a picture of the boy when he couldn't even draw his face without somehow ruining it, but Allura had explained that, even if the boy himself had a ruined image, as long as they could see the color he was tinted with, it would give them a headstart on figuring out what happened to him.

Allura had also taught him the spell, in case it wore off before the boy showed up.

"Allura prank you again?" Hunk asked sympathetically.

Keith was about to question what he meant when he remembered the last time the spell had been cast on him.

"Yeah," Keith answered. "I kinda forgot about it. The smell is pretty nice."

Hunk nodded in agreement and focused back in fixing a drink.

It was twenty minutes before his break that the boy arrived. Keith wasted no time, taking three successive pictures before getting back to work.

It wasn't long when he was face-to-face with the boy himself.

"Can I get a caramel latte with two pumps of espresso, one pump of chocolate, and cinnamon?"

Keith wrote that down before grabbing a cup and asking, "Name?"

"Sokka."

Keith wrote the name on the cup, adding a little doodle of a boomerang before getting to work on his drink.

After he finished, he called out the fake name, handing the drink off to the boy.

He noticed the little doodle and snorted, saying, "Thanks Keith. Uh, do you have a Band-Aid?"

"Let me guess. You scrapped your knee falling for me?" Keith smirked at the boy's shocked face.

"How did you know that?!"

"You made a face like you were about to flirt with me," Keith explained.

The boy blinked, then noted, "Well, it was hard to resist. You look great in glasses."

Keith, suddenly self conscious about the glasses, adjusted them and shrugged, claiming, "Lost my contacts."

"They suit you."

Keith wished he could just shut off the gay for a moment because he was on a mission, dammit. He pressed the button, getting another pic before noting, "I have to get back to work. It was nice talking to you, Mr...?"

"Mystery. Mr. Mystery." He attempted to wink seductively but ended up blinking.

"Right. Mr. Goofball it is."

"Hey!"

"Enjoy your drink, sir." With a smirk, Keith got back to work.

The boy left before Keith went on his break.

* * *

"These aren't going to destroy your computer, are they?" Keith cautiously asked Pidge as she worked, hovering over her shoulder with Allura.

"We'll just have to see," Pidge answered. "So, there are only four photos in the memory." She opened up the first one.

Keith stared in shock.

Where the boy should have been was a bright purple silhouette that almost appeared to glow. Allura froze at the sight.

The following three photos had the same results. The boy had been erased out of them by the spell meant to figure out who cursed him.

"Allura? What do you think?"

Allura stared at the photos silently, before finally whispering one word.

"Galra."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is particularly terrible. So sorry. I kinda rushed it and I eventually decided to post it.
> 
> Anyway, apparently Elentori gave this story kudos! However, there is the slight possibility that the person who gave me kudos is pretending to be them ~~and thus has crushed my heart into mush and burned it for fuel~~ , but if not...HOLY CRAP THAT IS SO AWESOME.
> 
> Seriously though, go check out elentori-art.tumblr.com for their art. Their Voltron comics are pretty well known among the fandom, so even if you haven't heard of them you've probably seen their art.
> 
> Finally, for those of you worried about Matt, either the next chapter or the chapter after that will go into the mysterious accident I keep referencing and explain what happened to Matt.
> 
> Later!


	3. Memory In General Kind Of Sucks Right Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith looks back on the past as he and the ladies realize something terrible about the accident that happened over a year ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashback/Angst chapter.

"What the fuck is Galra?"

Allura raised an eyebrow at Keith, giving him a look of disapproval at his lack of knowledge. Based on Pidge's matching expression, she herself was also aware of what the fuck Galra was.

"Galra is a gang well known for having many descendants of fae in its ranks."

"Basically magically gifted individuals with small gifts, like Coran and Allura" Pidge added helpfully. "They usually have small powers. Nothing major. Like Coran's encyclopedia of knowledge or Allura's strength. You can usually identify them by weird physical features."

"Yes. However, the glowing indicates the individual to be a witch rather than a descendant of fae. Most likely one who follows Haggar, if not the woman herself."

"Who?"

"Dr. Eve Haggar," Pidge answered helpfully, already on a Wikipedia page. "A well-known geneticist. Was arrested for charges of murder but was released due to lack of evidence. Sound familiar?"

"Sorta?"

"That's because Shiro arrested her, based on evidence Matt found."

Keith blinked, feeling incredibly out of the loop, as Allura and Pidge continued talking.

"This article doesn't tie her to Wiccans or any other well known pagan religions," Pidge noted. "According to interviews, she's an atheist."

"She is not part of them. Her rituals are of her own design. It is believed she gets her power from the life force of humans, as do her followers. She is considered a witch only be technicality."

"Wait...what was she arrested for again?" Keith asked. He probably should know this, but for some reason he had been distracted back then. He couldn't remember what for.

"Murder," Pidge repeated. "She was believed to be a serial killer. If her power comes from the life force of humans, then she likely got it from her victims. Mostly homeless people. A few kids who were kicked out and thus had no one looking for them. They could only find evidence of her presence on one of the crime scenes, though Matt was pretty close to a breakthrough before..."

She stopped, going silent as she stared at the screen. Her face fell as she reread the information.

Allura and Keith didn't take long to realize what she had figured out.

"When was she arrested?" Keith asked, feeling as though he already knew the answer. His blood ran cold at the thought.

Pidge monotonously answered, barely sparing Keith a glance as shock settled in.

"October 5th. The day after the last murder. One week before Shiro and Matt's accident. Released on account of no evidence."

* * *

_Keith wanted to go home._

_"Can we go home?" Keith asked, giving his brother a pouting expression._

_"Come on, Keith. Can you at least give some sort of semblance of happiness for me?"_

_"No."_

_"Rude."_

_The two continued their childish bickering as they entered the forensics lab. Keith had not wanted to be here, but Shiro had become a detective the APD at age 23, due to being exceptionally qualified, and their mother had insisted Shiro bring Keith along to see the entire place for the first time, and thus, there they were. Keith wished his mother would stop hinting at Keith following Shiro's footsteps, but he knew she meant the best. She wanted Keith, who had no fucking idea what to do at this point, to have a good future, and figured law enforcement would suit him like it suited Shiro._

_That didn't mean he had to be happy about it._

_"Hello?"_

_The two brothers stopped bickering to find a short boy in a lab coat and giant circular glasses staring at them in confusion. Shiro flushed slightly in embarrassment while Keith crossed his arms and glared at his brother to avoid eye contact with the scientist._

_"Sorry about me and my brother," Shiro quickly said, an embarrassed smile on his face. "We argue a lot. You know...siblings."_

_"Yeah. Me and my sister are like that too." The boy shrugged, sheepishly smiling. "Uh, so what are you two doing down here?"_

_"I'm looking around and my mom insisted I bring him along. I'm Detective Takashi Shirogane, though you can call me Shiro."_

_"Hi Shiro! I'm single-I mean I'm Matt! I'm Matt!"_

_Keith quickly put a hand over his mouth in order to hide the snort at the little outburst. His brother, amazingly, didn't seem to notice._

_"A-Anyway," Matt quickly changed the subject, "I am the forensics expert here. I help find the evidence that nails the bad guys. It's a pretty awesome job, if I do say so myself." He gave a proud grin as he gestured around himself. "I have some of the best equipment in the nation, thanks to city funding."_

_As Matt rambled on about the equipment and Shiro listened intently, Keith spared a glance at the two. Matt had not stopped blushing since the confession of being single, and his brother still was not noticing this._

_Eventually the two headed off to see other parts of the department, with Shiro promising to come by often and Matt waving in almost a lovestruck daze._

_"Didn't you notice anything weird?" Keith asked, eyeing Shiro with a look of amusement._

_"Huh?" Shiro turned to his brother suspiciously. "What do you mean?"_

_Keith grinned, deciding to be a little shit. "Oh, nothing. To be honest though, I have absolutely no idea why you were hired as a detective."_

* * *

Shiro was having a good day today. Keith could tell the moment he walked in the door.

That was nice. Good days were few and far between, even a year after the accident. He and Allura woke up often to Shiro screaming Matt's name, or sobbing in bed. Sometimes Shiro would have flashbacks to the accident triggered by car accidents on the news or in shows they were watching. Sometimes Shiro couldn't get out of bed, haunted by his last memories of Matt.

Today he was up and about, whistling a cheerful tune as he made tea for himself. He hadn't yet noticed Keith, seen his brother's expression.

Keith knew his brother should know. He just didn't know how to tell him.

Allura and Pidge had already switched gears. This investigation was no longer just about the boy in the coffee shop. They had to know how Haggar was related to him, and also how he was related to the accident that hurt his and Pidge's brothers. They had to figure out what the boy had done to get cursed.

They agreed not to tell Shiro, an agreement that Keith was secretly planning on betraying before this moment right here.

There was no conclusive evidence. It was merely a hunch, something that Keith knew in every fiber of his being was the truth yet unable to be proven by any solid evidence.

Shiro liked evidence. So had Matt.

He wanted so badly to give Shiro and Matt the justice they deserved. He wanted to fucking find Haggar himself and kick her ass. But, at the moment, he could do nothing.

He couldn't break the curse on the boy in the coffee shop. He couldn't give Shiro his arm back, or cure his PTSD. He couldn't save Matt.

He felt fucking useless.

Shiro turned, his smile dropping at Keith's face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Keith nodded, wondering why the fuck his brother had to be so fucking fantastic. He was more concerned about Keith when he was the one whose phantom pains left him in pain at times, whose nightmares haunted him most nights. And yet, here he was, worrying over Keith like it was Keith who had it worse.

Shiro nodded, his expression clearly showing how little he believed Keith but not asking any questions. He gestured for Keith to sit down and began pouring him tea, preparing it just the way Keith liked it and sitting next to him.

"I miss when we didn't have all this hanging over us," Keith admitted. "When we could just act like kids and not like the adults we've been forced to become. I miss not having to worry every moment that something will go wrong, like me losing my job or something like that. I miss the dumb arguments and childish poking."

"...I miss it too," Shiro admitted. "But, no matter how much I try, it doesn't feel genuine. The playful barbs don't feel right when you realize that could be the last thing I ever say to you. You know what the last thing I ever said to you nearly was?"

"Hmm?"

"'Go fuck yourself.'" Shiro shook his head, giving a slightly bitter laugh. "There was no malice behind it. It was the sort of playful stuff we usually did before all this. But the reason I insist on saying I love you after every conversation is so, if something happens to either of us, the last thing I say to you isn't something stupid like that, or asking you to go get some milk."

"I-I don't even remember that," Keith admitted.

"I do. Every day. It was one of the thoughts on my mind in the accident. One of the things I thought about was how the last thing I had said to you was, 'Go fuck yourself." I never wanted to be the kind of brother who was super sappy and emotional, but near-death experiences do that to you."

"...Do you ever wonder if it wasn't an accident?"

"Every goddamn day," Shiro answered, sipping his tea. "I'm pretty sure I'll die blaming someone for this. Sometimes I blame myself. Sometimes though, there is no one to blame. Things break and malfunction. I don't know what happened that caused the brakes to stop working. I don't know if someone else caused it or if it was just a malfunction in the car. All I know is that Matt saved lives with his decision that day, and that makes him a hero."

Keith nearly told him. He nearly let out everything about what they figured out. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Do you ever feel like you've forgotten someone important?" he asked curiously. "Like there are all these missing blanks that you don't notice until you focus back on them?"

Shiro blinked, tilting his head as he thought about it. Finally, he shrugged.

"Sometimes. I can't think of a particular instance, but sometimes it does feel like something is missing when we are all together. That is probably just the space left by Matt though."

"I guess."

* * *

The moment his eyes laid on the boy, he whispered the spell Allura had taught him under his breath, quickly overwhelmed with the smell of cinnamon.

Hunk returned from the backroom and gave him an odd look.

"Spilled cinnamon on myself," Keith answered quickly.

"Sure...Anyway Keith, it's time for your break."

"But we're underst-"

Hunk shook his head, noting, "You look like death, Keith. Get some rest. Shiro would understand if you took a day off."

 _But Shiro wasn't the cause this time_ , Keith didn't say. _I've been thinking about someone else_ , he didn't say. _I feel like a useless piece of shit and I wasn't even aware that my brother had arrested a serial killer until over a year after she probably led to his terrible injuries in an accident that continues to effect him and one of my best friends_ , he didn't say.

Instead, he nodded reluctantly and headed to the backroom, removing his apron and hat before going to the sitting area with a book.

* * *

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Keith eyes snapped open to find the boy looking at him with concern.

The smell of cinnamon indicated the spell was active, so at least he hadn't been out too long.

"Sorry," he quickly said, sitting up on the loveseat in the sitting area.

"Don't worry about it. You look like death."

"Yeah, Hunk already told me." Keith yawned, mumbling, "Couldn't sleep. Thinking about too much."

"...I'm a pretty good listener?" The boy sat next to Keith and gestured for him to continue.

"...Who are you?"

"Hey, I'm here to listen-"

"No," Keith interrupted. "I mean it. Who are you? How come you look so damn familiar, but I can't place you. I'm almost waiting for a lame pick-up line when you haven't given any indication of offering one. You seem so at home in this place when I can't remember you here before. How the fuck can you just sit down an offer to listen to my problems when as far as I know, you are a stranger, and yet I actually feel like I can talk about them to you? Who are you?"

The boy blinked in surprise at the outburst, before avoiding Keith's gaze.

"...There is no point in talking about me," he explained. "If a tree falls in the woods, and everyone forgets it was ever standing, did it ever really fall in the first place?"

"...Yes..."

"Okay, bad analogy," the boy admitted. "It's just...you were my friend. I was part of your group of friends. Before I got cursed. Call me a masochist, but I can't just give up being around. I am desperately trying to hold onto the last remaining threads of purpose I have. Talking to you guys, even when you forget, makes me feel less like a shadow."

"...Who cursed you?"

"I can't talk about her. Not again. Last time I did..."

"...What happened?"

The boy grimaced, admitting, "It was Matt. I told him about what happened, had him write it all down. He had a breakthrough in a case, but..."

"...The accident."

"It was my fault. I thought I could exploit the loophole and give her the punishment she deserved. If I couldn't be saved from this curse, I'd at least help put her behind bars. But she made sure to let me know what would happen if I used loopholes."

Dr. Eve Haggar...it made sense.

"It's not your fault," Keith insisted, words he had told Shiro many times before.

"...You know, she told me I only had two ways to get rid of this curse. I talked to Allura in her shop once, and she explained that curses Haggar cast had conditions, like fairy tales."

"What are they?"

"The first was someone had to tell me my name. Except that is impossible, because no one can retain my name in their memory for longer than a second."

"What is your name?" Keith asked, silently hoping the spell he had cast would work.

"It's _____."

"...Oh. I see what you mean. What about the second one?"

"The universal condition, according to Allura," the boy explained, giving Keith a sad look. "Death."

Keith gaped in shock.

"I won't lie, especially since you won't remember this, but I've considered just...ending it..." The boy looks at the ground with shame. "But...I'd hate for that to be how it happens, because I know you all will blame yourselves when you remember and I'm dead because I've killed myself."

"So you're stuck like this?"

"Until I eventually die of starvation or illness because I can't afford food or medicine," he answered. "Honestly, I get lunch here every day partially because you and Hunk work here and partially because the sandwiches are both good and really cheap."

"How did you get the money?" Keith asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"I was saving for a car. My money was still under my now abandoned bed, so I snuck into my house, took the money, and left before my mother could beat the shit out of me for breaking in. Forgetting me meant they forgot it existed, so no one ever called the cops. Had a few thousand in there. I'm starting to run low, but getting work isn't easy when you can't write your name, or can't be interviewed, or have no one who remembers you being a good worker for references."

"Huh. Guess you were pretty lucky you were buying a car."

"I mostly wanted to get a car before you."

"Ah. That explains it."

The boy curled up in the corner of the loveseat, admitting, "I tried to pretend it wasn't all bad. Made jokes to myself about how sleeping outside was just like camping. Pranked you a couple of times. Sorry about that."

"I'm sure they weren't that bad."

"I pied you in the middle of the workday."

"...I'm surprised I didn't just kill you and be done with it."

"Heh. Yeah. Me too."

The two sat silently there for a moment, clearly unsure what to say. Keith finally spoke up.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No," the boy answered solemnly, sadness obvious in his posture. He didn't look confident like he had when he had talked to Keith those two times. He looked utterly defeated as he gave Keith a sorrowful look. "There isn't."

* * *

"Bullshit!"

Keith and Allura blinked at Pidge's outburst.

Keith had been relaying the events of earlier to Allura and Pidge, letting them know everything he had learned from the boy.

"There is no way in hell I'm going to let that bitch win!" Pidge declared, her expression set with determination. "She hurt my brother and Shiro, and killed countless people. I'm not going to let her win. Allura, how much power does it take to do what Haggar did?"

"Um." Allura ran through the logistics in her head, offering, "Considering the power required to completely erase the impact a person made isn't achievable by any mortal, witch or not, she likely only erased her victims's presence from our memories. Things we can't explain, like Keith's surprising ignorance around the time Shiro and Matt were investigating Haggar's killings, could possibly be explained by his presence. That still takes a lot of power, but it would be achievable, especially if she had recently drew power."

"Which she had," Pidge observed. "Because her victim witnessed her do it."

Allura blinked, realization hitting her. "Oh. That makes sense. Why didn't she just kill him though?"

"Because of us," Keith answered quickly. "He wasn't exactly her normal target. He was well known, had a family and plenty of friends. Killing him would call attention to herself. However, she didn't clean up the scene properly, probably because he distracted her. That's how Matt got her initially. He needed this guy account of the events to confirm she was the murderer though."

"And this helps us...?"

Pidge faceplanted on her desk, grumbling, "Do absolutely nothing. We just confirmed what we already knew. Haggar murdered people. Haggar cursed this guy. Haggar caused the accident. Based on what Keith told us, the guy she cursed won't tell us what happened because of what happened to Matt. We can't find out what connects all the murders to her because only her victim and Matt know, and Matt's currently unable to tell us anything. Unless either of you know how to pull someone out of a coma, which I'm guessing you don't."

"No," Allura admitted, before grinning deviously. "But I do know a way he could tell us anyway."


	4. Casually Sifting Through A Dude's Memories. No Big Deal.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We visit Matt finally.

Keith hated visiting Matt.

He hated seeing a guy who had been animated and constantly moving so fucking still. He hated how Pidge seemed to be silently wishing for him to wake up. He hated how Shiro always apologized as though he could have done something.

_"I've made a breakthrough! I need to get to my lab right now!"_

_"I'll come with. Don't want you to crash out of excitement."_

_"Rude. Later Keith. Don't let Allura wait for us to eat."_

_"Good luck, Matt."_

He often thought back to that moment when Allura answered her phone before dropping it after a few seconds, her face falling with it. He thought about how she dragged him to the car, not even explaining until they were on the road to the hospital."

_"Their brakes stopped working. Matt swerved off the road and crashed...they don't know if they'll make it."_

_"He looked at me...I think he knew...he had to get off the road before people got hurt...and he said..._ 'I'm sorry.' _"_

"Keith," Allura said, drawing him out of the memory. "Are you up for this?"

He nodded quickly. He knew that it was probably hurting Pidge way more to see this than it hurt him. If she could get through this, so could he.

"I need to remind you both that this is a huge invasion of privacy," Allura helpfully noted.

"I'm his sister," Pidge reminded Allura. "I was born to invade his privacy."

"Once we find the memory, we are getting out immediately. Understood?"

"Let's Gravity Falls this shit up."

"Got it."

Allura nodded, closing her eyes and whispering the words. With a flash of pink and the smell of strawberries, Keith fell unconscious.

* * *

_"I can't wait for this case to be over," Matt mused aloud. "Maybe you'll get a promotion, Shiro? Ooh, maybe a new office!"_

_"I like my office though," Shiro noted. "Besides, you are the one who solved this. I'm just along for the ride."_

_"They better at least give you a raise. And some more vacation days. I'm thinking we take a trip to celebrate this. Just you and me. A week at least."_

_"We'll see."_

_Matt thought to the box in his pocket, smiling softly. When they successfully solved this case, he'd give it to Shiro._

Keith could hear Pidge choke back a sob, knocking him out of the memory for a moment before settling back in.

_He was grabbing the little device from his pocket when it fell into the floorboard. He spared it a glance, deciding he'd grab it when they got there, and saw the brake illuminate with purple light._

_Purple light...like his paper mentioned._

_He tested the brake, realizing they weren't slowing down at all. Dread reached his face as he looked at the car in front of him, with a sign that said "Baby on Board." He checked to one side. They'd be past the wall in a few moments. If he could get off the road-_

_"Matt?"_

_He looked at Shiro, whose expression was of concern._

_He couldn't save himself or Shiro from getting hurt, but he could for these people around him. If he couldn't keep Shiro safe, he'd make sure no one else would get hurt._

_He smiled sadly at Shiro, saying, "I'm sorry."_

_With that, he sharply turned off the road._

* * *

Keith felt whiplash as Allura propelled them to another memory, just before they could see the crash itself. As she did, he could hear Pidge crying and reached out a hand for support. He felt her take it just before they fell into a different memory.

_"Thanks for helping me find a ring, Allura," Matt cheerfully said, sipping his fruit tea._

_"It's not a problem. Just promise to let me see when you do. I am morally obligated to take as many pictures as possible."_

_The two laughed, and Matt looked again at the little box in front of him. He wasn't nearly ready enough to give it to Shiro, but he was glad he had it._

_"I probably should apologize for not liking you at first," Matt admitted. "I was jealous. You look like a freaking goddess and were best friends with Shiro. I figured I had no chance."_

_"Don't worry about it," Allura assured him. "Shiro and I have been friends for a long time, and I have never seen him more dedicated to anyone before he met you. He really loves you, Matt."_

_Matt blushed, about to respond when he received a call. He quickly grabbed his phone and answered."_

_"Hello?"_

_"Hey Matt!"_

_"Shiro! What's up?"_

_"I figured, since graduation is close, we go out to eat to celebrate Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and _____'s achievements this year."_

_"Sounds awesome. Allura and I will be home soon."_

"He mentioned the guy," Pidge noted. "We're too early. Allura?"

"Oh. Right."

She found another memory.

* * *

_Keith was screaming into a pillow in his room when Matt entered, sighing and sitting in the desk chair._

_"Hey, Keith."_

_Keith lifted his head and asked in exasperation, "What?"_

_"As resident expert on pining-"_

"What?"

_"-I figured I could help you since Shiro is useless. He is Mr. 'Just go for it because you'll feel much better after you talk about it,' as if it's easy to just admit feelings."_

_"Not to mention he didn't realize your obvious crush on him until long after he fell for you."_

_"Yes. In short, Shiro is useless in matters of pining. So I thought I'd offer my advice."_

_"You-"_

_"Yes, my experience is not recommended, but I can tell you what not to do."_

_"Which is?" Keith gave him an expectant look._

_"Don't let your feelings rip you apart from inside out," Matt answered. "As useless as Shiro is, he does offer pretty solid advice. It is better to admit how you feel than to let your feelings go all Jonah on you. The useless part is that he doesn't pine much, so he can't assist in those matters."_

_"...But I basically have a crush on the most straight person to ever straight," Keith pointed out, flopping his head into his pillow. "It is like he is taunting me with how fucking heterosexual he is. 'Look at me flirt with this cute girl. Ooh, don't you think that girl is so hot?' Meanwhile my gay ass is pining away ridiculously. Goddamn _____."_

"Pfthahahahahaha!"

Keith, knocked out of the flashback by Pidge's laughter, gave her a glare and wished he could erase the red from his face.

"Still too early," Allura noted. Keith was about to thank her when she added, "I guess you were wrong about the straight part."

"Shut up."

* * *

_"Matt! The phone is for you!"_

_Matt took the phone from his sister, asking, "Hello?"_

Static caused the three to recoil.

"This is the phone call itself I'm guessing?" Pidge noted.

Allura nodded, observing, "The memory is still there, but Haggar's spell is interfering with it, keeping him from remembering what the boy said. Wasted less energy than erasing him, and ensured she had enough to cast the second part and block his presence in new memories we create."

"He must have written it down then," Keith noted. "Can you go to a memory of him reading the notes?"

"I'll try."

* * *

_Matt felt something in his pocket, removing a folded-up stack of papers and opening them up._

_"...She carved two lines...the cuts on their faces...a knife! One of the knives from her home must have the evidence I need!"_

The memory paused on the papers, and Keith could hear the soft sound of pencil on paper. He blinked and looked at Pidge, who was writing.

"Wait, how would the knives help?" Keith asked, confused.

"She cast the spell to extract their life force while holding the knife, according to the witness' account," Pidge explained, still writing. "Then she used it to carve two lines into the victims' faces after they were dead. If Matt used a magic detection device, like the one he always had on him, the knife would have glowed the same color as the victims' bodies. He and Shiro had already removed her knives from her home for evidence, so all he needed to do was go to his lab and check them until he found the one she used."

"Oh."

"If Matt's car wasn't gone, we could use the same trick to point out that she had enchanted his brakes and caused them to stop working, allowing the police to arrest her again. Her knife, if it wasn't disposed of, is safe in her house and there is no way in hell we are getting a warrant now. She is untouchable."

The pencil snapped in Pidge's hands, and Allura took that as a sign to stop the spell.

Keith looked at Pidge, who glared angrily at the pages in her hands, carefully transcribed from Matt's memories.

"She still fucking wins, even with this. We can't submit this testimony. We can't get the evidence that proves she did it. We can't even get her for attempted murder. We've still lost."

"Pidge..."

"All we've done is called attention to ourselves." Pidge's tone changed from angry to concerned, looking at the other two. "There was no way she hasn't been monitoring us. How else could she have known Matt had even learned the information that she attempted to kill him for knowing."

"Her followers must have been monitoring the investigation," Allura noted. "They wouldn't have continued after she was released. The only person they'd continue to monitor is..."

Pidge and Allura looked at Keith, who blinked at the sudden attention.

"W-What? You don't think-"

"I'm hooking you up with a protection charm," Allura decided. "Pidge, keep your copy of the account in a safe place. We don't speak of this publicly again. Keith, don't talk about Matt or the accident to the boy until we get to the bottom of this. Don't let him know he is being monitored, or that you have formed memories of him because of the spell I taught you. Don't drive without the charm I gave you. And for heaven's sake, don't tell Shiro."

Pidge and Keith nodded quickly, and the three bid Matt goodbye before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I WAS USING BREAK INSTEAD OF BRAKE I HATE MYSELF


	5. Trees Are Great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is very confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've kind have just given up on titles for these chapters.
> 
> I was reading [Sweet Sensations](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8550994/chapters/19604776), a really cool Klance fic I enjoy, and the end of Chapter 7 gave me feelings, especially since I've been writing a story where Lance is cursed to be forgotten.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this garbage chapter that throws a previously irrelevant tree into the mix! Fuck, I am bad at storytelling.

Keith was nothing if not stubborn. So, despite spending nearly the entire night before kept awake by revelations from the day, he went to work. Hunk gave him concerned looks, but he powered through.

He only messed up one drink before Hunk put his foot down.

"Go home, Keith," he insisted. "We aren't busy today. Get some sleep."

Keith, too tired to argue but too stubborn to go home, nodded in agreement, despite having absolutely no intention of going to sleep. He turned in his apron and walked toward the park, knowing a favorite place of his to just sit and left, heading in the opposite direction.

It was a short walk to the park before he found his destination: A large tree with branches perfect for climbing, out of the sight of the average park visitor.

He climbed up, finding a familiar branch and sat, back against the trunk. His fingers hit the familiar lines he had carved into its trunk years ago, spelling out Keith. Shiro's name was beside his. He had fond memories, and not-so-fond ones, of sitting in this tree.

He had discovered it with Shiro when they were younger, when he still was just a foster child that had no way of knowing this would be the family that would keep him. He came here whenever he needed a break, or when he was scared. He came out to Shiro here, and angsted over his first crush here. He had been here when Shiro admitted he had a thing for Matt, a year after the two met.

He was here when first Allura, then Matt were brought here, adding their names to the tree. Shiro had only given Allura and Matt the luxury. Keith hadn't brought anyone at all.

He came here after the accident, before Shiro had been released from the hospital. He punched the trunk, making his hand bleed. He cursed whatever terrible luck had haunted him for hurting people he cared about.

Now here he was, a year older and much more aware of what had happened.

It wasn't closure. Haggar still won. The boy wasn't saved from his curse, Matt was still comatose, the evidence that could convict her was either gone or unattainable, and they couldn't do anything about it. Despite all the talk about not letting her win, they couldn't do anything.

It wasn't closure because nothing was solved or gained by what they learned. Keith was only more confused than he had been after Allura first cast that spell on him. 

He looked at the names. There was the little heart Shiro had carved next to Matt's name, the comically terrible K that looked vaguely like an H, which had caused Shiro to call him Heith for two weeks, a mess of knife marks covering what must have once been a name...wait.

He looked at the mess on the bark, attempting to find what letters could possibly remain, but only able to make out the first vertical line used to carve the first letter and a squiggly shape at the end that was _probably_ an E?

_Dumbass should have just done all letters uppercase._

This was Keith's life now. He just found another sign of the person he'd forgotten and first thought is what a dumbass the guy was.

"Keith?"

He looked, making eye contact with Allura. He started to say something, then forgot. Fuck, he must have found out something and dumbly forgotten to cast the spell on himself.

"I figured I'd find you here," she noted, climbing up and sitting on a branch next to him. She smiled at the names, saying, "Hunk told me to make sure you actually went home to rest, since he sent you home. Knowing you, someone will have to drag you kicking and scream to go home."

Keith nodded, looking at the names sadly, then his eyes landed on a bunch of scratched out marks.

Ah. That must have been what he'd forgotten.

He gestured to the scratched out name, noting, "Probably that guy we keep forgetting about."

Allura nodded in understanding, quickly whispering the words to the spell. The smell of strawberries immediately hit him.

"What is with the smell?"

"Auras, according to Coran," Allura answered helpfully. "The smell is associated with the color. Mine is pink, so strawberries. Doesn't make the most amount of sense to me, since strawberries are red, but whatever." She shrugged. "What scent did you get when you cast the spell?"

"Cinnamon."

The two, realizing they were off-topic, turned back to the ruined name.

"The name definitely begins with a letter that has a vertical line without anything sticking out over the top," Allura noted. "However, that is about..." She did a mental calculation. "Eleven letters, ten if he writes I's with the lines on the bottom and the top."

"I think this letter at the end is an E?" Keith added. "Dumbass should have used capital letters. That would have been easier to carve."

"Thankfully he didn't, or we might not have been able to identify the last letter. It isn't much of a clue, but it is one. I wonder how the name was scratched out in the first place."

The two looked at each other before simultaneously agreeing, "Magic," annoyed expressions on their faces at the obvious answer.

"You know, either you or Shiro must have been very close to this boy," Allura observed. "His name was added to this tree. According to Shiro, that is an indication of importance."

Keith nodded, saying, "Yeah. It was our special place, found back when I was still just a foster kid. Shiro asked me three times if it was really okay for you to come here. He only brought you and Matt here because you two are important to him. Really damn important." He looked at the ground, noting, "That guy we keep forgetting, he's more important than just a friend then. I can't imagine the hell he is going through. He's completely alone...worse than I ever was."

"We're going to free him of the curse," Allura promised, a determined expression on her face. "I will not let Haggar win. And I know you will not either."

* * *

"Did you have to take me home this way?"

"Yes. If I didn't, I'd never get you home."

Keith felt his phone ring and grabbed it, answering, "Yeah Pidge?"

"First, the sight of Allura carrying you is hilarious as fuck," Pidge snickered over the phone, before hanging up and approaching them on the street.

Keith, having been slung over Allura's shoulder like a potato sack, crossed his arms and glared at the girl, asking, "Did I ask you?"

"Second, I've got an idea of the guy we've been tracking's last name," she explained, scrolling through her phone to a photo of her yearbook, showing a scribbled out face and name between two students with last names Massey and Merrill. "It begins with M and the second letter is somewhere before E in the alphabet. His name length is long, but I can't tell if it is the first name or last name that is long."

"Last name," Keith and Allura answered, surprising Pidge.

"We found an instance of his first name," Allura explained. "It can't have been more than five or six letters long."

Pidge nodded, pulling out her notes and scribbling that down.

"That's good. I can check to see if the yearbook has anyone whose last names fit the criteria. If he had younger siblings, we'll be a step closer to figuring out his name."

"First name ends with an E too," Keith added, which Pidge wrote down with a smile.

"Don't mention anything too explicit," Allura reminded the two, lowering her voice. "If Haggar figures out we're doing this, we might not live to save him."

The two sobered up immediately.

Keith looked at the ground as Allura continued to carry him home, thinking. The tree, the memory of his pining...it made the most sense for him to have been the one to take him to the tree with Matt's memory. Had they been dating? Did Keith just take him there without telling him the meaning? Did he ever manage to admit his feelings?

This matter was just getting more and more convoluted.

* * *

There was an unmarked envelope in the mailbox when the three arrived at the apartment.

Allura passed it to Keith, who opened it cautiously.

Inside was a photograph, and his blood ran cold when he saw the subject.

It was a photo of Shiro, taken from outside the apartment. Probably through a window. It was from yesterday, judging by the clothing. His back was turned to the camera as he brewed tea, likely taken only a few moments before Keith got home. But the terrifying part was the red dot on the back of Shiro's head, the dot of a laser...or a sniper.

Pidge took the photo from Keith and blanched at the sight before showing Allura, who dropped Keith in shock.

"That's a threat," Allura muttered, looking over the photo. "We must...no, we should...I don't know what we should do."

"We have to tell Shiro. If he is in danger, he should know about it. We can't let them catch him off guard."

"We should tell Hunk too," Pidge added. "And Coran. Haggar might target them due to how close we are to them. And...we need to have someone keep an eye on Matt. He's the only one who won't be able to defend himself if Haggar targets him."

Allura looked about to argue, but sighed and nodded.

This was going to be interesting.


	6. Running On Empty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is tired and the boy is in a pickle. Also, shit gets real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** short and kinda shitty

Keith drank about two espresso shots when Hunk wasn't looking, and, with pure willpower, changed his traditional zombie expression into the standard barista-zombie expression. He wasn't going to be sent home today. He didn't want to risk Hunk forgetting about the meeting in the apartment.

He noticed the boy enter at one point and muttered the spell under his breath. Hunk, smelling cinnamon, gave him a curious look, and Keith mouthed a promise to tell him later. Shrugging, Hunk let Keith handle the boy.

"What will you have?"

"Uh, just a sandwich please?"

Keith paused for a moment, blinking in surprise. From each time he remembered, this guy would buy a drink with lots of syrups and whipped cream and so on. Why would he just get a sandwich?

"That'll be two dollars and seventy cents," Keith told him, attempting to hide his concern. Thankfully, the boy already seemed distracted as he pulled out two dollar and a few coins.

Keith counted the money, saying, "You're about fifteen cents short."

The boy blanched, bowing his head and admitting, "I don't have anymore money."

Keith now completely allowed his concern to show through, surprised. The boy had mentioned he was running short on money. Suddenly he noticed the clothes weren't in the best condition, and that he hadn't worn anything different in all the time he remembered seeing him. He was using the last of his money to buy a cheap sandwich so he'd have some food before he had to go without.

He took out his wallet, pulled out the appropriate amount of money, and put it in the register, sliding the money back to the boy.

"Keep this," he told the boy before he could respond. "And-" Keith pulled out some more money and put it in the register before grabbing a gift card from the rack, passing it to the boy. "-use this next time you come by. It's got twenty bucks on it. I wish I could help more."

The boy stared at the card, then looked at Keith with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you."

Keith smiled, saying, "No problem. Now, let me get you your drink. Your name?"

* * *

Hunk drove Keith to the apartment. Coran's VW Bug was already parked there. A quick text confirmed that Pidge and Shiro were there, but Allura was running a little late dealing with a customer who basically refused to leave until they found eye of newt, despite Allura swearing she had none.

The two baristas soon found themselves sitting at the dining table where Pidge and Coran were already sitting, as Shiro made tea. Coran was discussing the oven in his restaurant with Pidge, which was suffering some issues. Hunk was adding his two cents when Allura finally got inside.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone," she began, pulling off her jacket. "I finally managed to convince them to just order the eye of newt instead of looking for some in my store."

She sat between Pidge and Coran and waved for Shiro to join them at the table. Once he was seated there, she gave Keith a look to begin.

"So, a few weeks ago, Allura wanted me to test a spell..."

* * *

Keith wondered if this was too much for Shiro. The older man didn't give off any sign of distress except for the clenching of his left fist. Was he mad? If so, at who?

Keith removed the photo of Shiro being threatened with a sniper from the table as Coran and Hunk began bombarding Allura and Pidge with questions. Best not to look at it any longer. Best to just let Shiro take in the huge amount of information he was just given.

"Keith, are you sure we were friends with him?" Shiro asked.

"There was a scratched out name in the tree," Keith answered. "I don't remember it being carved or scratched out, Shiro. The only people we show it to are-"

"People too important to forget," Shiro finished. He nodded slowly, asking, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"We're not even sure if _we_ can help. Just stay with Matt, okay? He's the only one right now who can't protect himself."

Shiro nodded. "Be careful, Keith."

"I will."

It's not like he was the one being threatened with a sniper.

* * *

"What can I get for you today?"

"Just a regular coffee please."

Keith looked over at Hunk, who was taking the order of the boy and putting the newest fake name on the cup.

Keith was about to go assist him, having cast the spell on himself, when the smell of honey reached his nose. He was confused for a moment before the realization hit him.

As the boy turned to go sit and wait for his drink, Hunk gave Keith a thumbs up, smiling.

Good. Hunk was on this. Why hadn't they let him in on this sooner?

The boy seemed surprised when Hunk called out the fake name, The Blue Ranger. Keith saw him blink and shake his head. Probably explaining it to himself as Hunk putting the name in the right place.

A regular coffee. Huh. Must be saving the card as well as he could.

* * *

"Thanks for coming with, guys," Pidge noted, smiling at Allura and Keith.

"No problem. I'm switching out with Shiro anyway," Allura easily answered. "Your brother will be in the best hands."

"I'll hold you to that," Pidge joked, though a touch of seriousness kept any of them from laughing.

The elevator opened and they made their way to Matt's room.

The scene they came upon was highly unexpected.

Shiro was lying on the floor, with the boy attempting to wake him up. The room indicated a struggle. Matt was no where to be found.

"Shiro!" Keith shouted, drawing the boy's attention.

"I found him like this!" he quickly explained. "I didn't hurt him."

Allura cast the spell, though Keith barely noticed as he went to check Shiro. He had a pulse.

"I'm sorry, I should go," the boy began, but froze at the sight of Pidge. They all immediately looked at her.

She was staring at the empty bed, her eyes shining with tears. It was no surprise. She clenched her fists and wiped her face.

She pointed at the boy, surprising him.

"Tell. Me. Everything."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit got real fast.
> 
> The race to find Matt is on. Again. Poor Matt.
> 
> Being Pidge is suffering. Being Matt is suffering. Being Shiro is suffering.
> 
> Just...Being in my stories is suffering.
> 
> This meme won't die before I do, dammit.


	7. Well fuck what are we gonna do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this updated? Are pigs flying?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Surprise! It's a motherfucking update! I can't say much for its quality, but it exists and the climax is quick approaching!
> 
> Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long! I promised someone a few days ago that I'd get a chapter in before July because I wasn't sure how this would go. Welp, it's before July!
> 
> ~~I'm sorry I'm such a mess.~~
> 
> So, here we are! I hope you enjoy this!

Shiro was questioned and released by the police, and Keith drove him to their apartment. The two didn't talk on the way, focused on the more major problem; Matt was gone and the boy was there. Soon they arrived.

Inside, the boy was sitting at the head of the table, with Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Coran around him. He was almost trying to make himself smaller under everyone's gaze as Keith and Shiro joined everyone at the table, though he gave Hunk a shaky smile after he was passed a mug of what was probably tea.

"Good, everyone is here," Pidge began. She turned to the boy and stated, "We know about your curse, and we know what happened. Right now, you need to tell us everything, because my brother is somewhere in Haggar's clutches and no amount of hiding is going to save his life."

The boy blinked in surprise before bowing his head.

"It's my fault," he began. "Shiro and Matt's accident, and now his capture."

"Bullshit," Keith immediately stated, surprising the boy. "You can't take responsibility for any of this. It was Haggar who caused the crash, and it was Haggar's people who took Matt. If anything, it was our fault for investigating what happened to you. And since I'm the person who insisted on starting this investigation in the first place, that makes it on me, okay? So don't blame yourself for this."

The boy blinked owlishly, and Keith didn't like how pitiful he looked in his old, dirty clothes.

Pidge interrupted the silence, beginning, "How did you end up in the hospital room? Did you see the kidnapping?"

He shook his head. "No. I was just coming to visit. I've been visiting ever since he ended up in the hospital, usually when you guys aren't there. While he and I were never the closest, he was still a friend of mine and I had given him the information that put him in there. When I got there, he was gone and Shiro was unconscious. I tried to wake Shiro up and that was when you guys came in."

"What all happened after you were cursed?" Allura asked, her voice as calm and gentle as she could be in this situation.

The boy looked at the group, Hunk, Shiro, and Coran giving him reassuring smiles, before he began talking.

* * *

The picture.

Keith was shaken at the sight of it, almost as bad as the one of Shiro.

It was taken from the exact same place, showing the same room and a similar scene. Except it wasn't Shiro targeted in this threat.

It was him.

It was a very clear message; there were no words needed to get the point across. If the boy had tried to bypass his curse in order to tell someone again, Keith would have been shot and killed without hesitation, punishing someone unaware of what was going on and who wouldn't remember being warned.

This picture had been the final straw for the boy, causing him to decide never to share the information he had again. It made Keith sick to his stomach that the same manipulation tactic was used against the boy, but he was alone and unable to warn anyone.

It was Hunk, admittedly, who made the connection.

"Wait, that is the same vantage point!" Hunk pointed out, gesturing to the photo. Keith blinked, then pulled out the picture of Shiro. Hunk gestured to both. "They must have assigned someone to be ready to shoot when told to!"

"That is our ticket to finding Matt," Pidge decided, her eyes set with steely determination.

"So, what's the plan for getting the sniper without getting killed?" Coran asked, bringing up an incredibly valid point.

Pidge, Keith, and Allura shared a look, all having the same idea, before turning to the boy, who flinched at the sudden staring.

"Oh boy."

* * *

A purple and black dressed man sat on a nearby roof, eating chips as be talked on the phone.

"Yes, this job is one of the most dull I've ever taken...No mom, I am fine, just bored...Come on, it's not as if this is a particularly dangerous job. All I have to do is sit here and wait for an order to shoot that will never come. Not exactly the most dangerous occupation in the world...No, I don't think there is any concern. I'll be fine...Okay...I love you too...Bye."

He hung up and turned to grab the sniper rife, only to be met with an unfamiliar face grinning devilishly before punching him out cold.

"I've been wanting to do that for over a fucking year," the boy declared, turning to grin at the group hidden on the fire escape.

* * *

Keith stood in the back with the boy, Coran, and Hunk as the remaining three sat opposite of their hostage, Hunk repeatedly mumbling about how illegal this was.

Pidge was obviously bad cop with her interrogation methods, much more intimidating than her four-foot-eleven height would entail. Backing her up was Allura, whose strength would have been scary even if she didn't lift. And Shiro, who was scary looking yet much kinder than Pidge and Allura, was there to be good cop and keep these two from accidentally committing murder.

"You work for Galra," Pidge plainly began, glaring at the sniper. "We need to know where your base of operations is. If you don't, we have ways of making you talk."

The sniper looked at the surrounding people, his eyes landing on Keith for a long moment, before turning to Pidge.

"Alright. The Galra in this city are set up at the Pollux Warehouse that closed down a year ago. It is relatively unguarded now that Haggar has left the city, but a Druid and a few Galra members are still there to monitor Matthew Holt and keep him from waking."

Everyone blinked, surprised.

The sniper shrugged. "I have no loyalty to Galra. I am not willing to be snapped in half by Miss Baldric over information. I likely will be withdrawn from the organization once they realize my cover has been blown."

"Cover?" Pidge asked, leaning forward. Her composure regained after the shock, she was back to looking intimidating. "Are you a double agent?"

The hostage nodded. "My name is Thace. My organization has been gathering information to take down Galra. My job was to keep tabs on their activity in this area. My intention was to purposely miss and claim you managed to avoid it if I was ever ordered to shoot."

"Galra wanted to monitor Matt," Shiro recalled, confused. "Why Matt? Why not him?" He gestured to the boy.

Thace blinked, asking, "Has that boy been there the entire time?"

"He was cursed by Haggar. He was a witness to a murder."

"There was no monitoring of him that I recall."

"To be fair, you probably wouldn't remember if there was," the boy noted with a shrug. "These guys can only retain any information about me with a spell. Why were they monitoring Matt?"

"Matthew Holt was attacked because he had information that could be used against Dr. Haggar. He was about to regain consciousness a week after the attack. They merely intended to keep him unconscious until Haggar was released. However, the spell they cast on him interfered with a spell already cast on him. I don't know what the previous spell was, but the Druid has to keep him unconscious now."

Shiro nodded, saying, "That must have been the spell the nurse was attempting to cast on him. I started to question her about it and that was when I was knocked out."

Thace shifted slightly and asked, "Since I have given you information, may I please be released? I should report back to my organization and inform them that I am not harmed."

Pidge nodded. "Alright. Keith, cut him loose."

* * *

Thace departed, leaving only a number to contact in case of future Galra trouble, a diagram of the Galra base, and more questions.

"How did a spell that keeps Matt unconscious interfere with another spell?" the boy asked, confused.

"It isn't impossible," Allura noted. "Like medicine, certain spells don't mix with certain spells. They can interfere with the effects, make them worse, or cause an unexpected and surprising effect. I have had some interesting incidents caused by combining two spells. I suspect the spell they cast on Matt has cancelled out the first spell, making it imperative that he doesn't regain consciousness. Shiro, did the nurse successfully cast the spell?"

Shiro shook his head. "No. Her hands had started glowing when I asked, but she didn't say anything."

"Then it is entirely possible that Matt will wake soon," Allura realized, concern in her voice. "Knowing Matt and how he acts in stressful situations..."

Everyone looked at each other.

"We need to get him out of there now," the boy said, his voice filled with determination. The others nodded in agreement, similar determined looks on their faces.

Then Hunk asked, a little fearfully, "Wait, how exactly are we going to do this?"

Pidge grinned deviously, enough to scare any person shitless. That was the look of a girl ready to commit murder to get what she wanted.

"We storm the base."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know what Lance told them, read the companion story linked below!
> 
> If you want to scream at me for not confirming if Matt is okay or not, my Tumblr is [boopboopitydoop](https://boopboopitydoop.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Hmm, what is going on? ~~I barely know myself.~~


	8. Storm The Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what is says in the title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what I'm doing now! Sorta! ... ~~I never know what I'm doing.~~
> 
> As you can see, we're nearing the end, folks. I'm going to actually fucking complete a multi-chapter story! I haven't done that since *checks date of Determination* December of _2015!_
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter guys. It's going to be an intense one.

There were two guards outside the warehouse, chatting away.

"The Druid looked pissed," one observed, polishing the pistol in their hands. "Do you think it is more dangerous to just leave or stay here?"

"Well, if we stay here, the Druid might kill us," the other answered, tapping their phone. "If we leave, the Druid will definitely kill u-damn the stupid bird to hell!" They glared viciously at their screen.

"Dude, it's 2017. Why are you playing Flappy Bird?"

"Because fuck you, that's why."

Before the first guard could respond, both were struck at the back of their heads, knocking them out.

"If I am arrested for this, you owe me," Hunk emphatically told Keith as the rest approached him and Shiro. The two had hidden and attacked when neither guard was looking, and Hunk was not happy about it.

"Don't even need to be arrested for me to owe you," Keith promised. "I'll cover your shift the next five times you need to do something, no complaints."

Pidge grabbed the keys from the unconscious guards, unlocking the door. "Alright guys. Our first goal is to go through the building and take out opposition so the Druid won't have back up. Allura already recast the spell so we can remember this guy...what do you want us to call you?"

"The Tailor."

"Alright then. Keith and the dumbass-"

"Rude, Pigeon!"

"-will handle the back of the building, Shiro and Hunk can handle the front, and Allura and I will find the security system and handle opposition there. Thace mentioned that we can put the building into lockdown, so I'll locate the Druid and Matt and lockdown the building once we are inside with them, trapping them. Then we will overpower them, grab Matt, and I'll get us out of there. Coran is set to call the police if things go to shit. We good?"

Everyone nodded and Pidge passed copies of the schematics around. "Keep your walkie talkies on, call if there is an emergency, and stay safe."

* * *

Keith and the boy wandered through the purple lit halls, silent as they did.

"Why do you have a sword?" the boy finally asked, concerned.

Keith spared it a glance before shrugging. "It was a birthday present from Allura."

"Allura willing gave you a sword?!"

"Not until I went through a lot of training," Keith added. "Plus after I proved that I wouldn't use it against people unless in self defense."

"How?" the boy asked. "Your temper isn't exactly reassuring, I'm sorry to say."

"I started working in food service."

"...You know what? That...that makes sense. I worked at Coran's restaurant for a year and the customers could be truly terrible."

The silence returned, fairly awkward. Keith didn't really know what to say.

"So, what is your first memory of me?" the boy asked. Keith gave him a confused look. "I mean, you did say you learned about me a while back. I just...how long ago did you learn about me?"

Keith smirked. "'Is your mom a baker?'" he quoted, watching humorously as the boy's eyes widened with horror and embarrassment.

"That-That-Oh my god!"

"Shh," Keith shushed him, remembering where they were. He listened for footsteps.

The boy's cringing was clearly visible, despite the dim lighting. "My first words to you that you can ever remember, and it was me tossing shitty pick-up lines at you? Ugh."

"I'm guessing our original first meeting was much better?"

The boy paused, then winced. "Honestly, shitty pick up lines drastically beats how I initially acted around you. I was an asshole."

Keith began to ask for more information when they heard footsteps. Ducking into a nearby hallway, they watched a couple of Galra passing by.

Keith nearly stepped forward to fight, but the boy grabbed his arm and shook his head. He began gesturing, and it took Keith a few moments to realize what he meant. Keith nodded in agreement.

The boy darted out of hiding and called, "Hey Ugly!"

Both Galra turned to him, focusing their attention on him, and Keith easily got behind them and slammed their heads together, knocking them out cold.

"Good plan," Keith noted, grinning at the boy.

The boy returned the smile and added, "We always were a good team."

* * *

They finally finished sweeping their area and Keith pressed the button on the walkie talkie.

"Everyone handled in our part, Pidge."

"Alright," Pidge answered. "The Druid is located in the stamping room. According to one of the guards we found, they have been trying to contact Haggar since they got Matt and haven't cast a spell yet. According to Allura, if they haven't cast the spell, Matt has minutes before he wakes up. We need to hurry."

"We are done now too," Shiro reported. "Meet you guys in the stamping room."

There was silence, and Keith turned to the boy.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, concerned.

The boy gave a sad smile, and Keith was reminded of that moment from the first time he remembered him, that smile he gave just before saying that he wished Keith could remember him.

"These people ruined my life. I'm not going to let them hurt my friend again."

The boy turned and began walking to the stamping room.

Keith stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll free you from this curse. I promise."

The boy still looked sad as he answered, "I don't think it will happen. But...thanks."

* * *

The Druid was a tall, imposing figure, with a long white mask with five yellow shapes that looked almost like eyes and a long purple cloak with a large hood over their head.

They likely would have been more intimidating if they weren't arguing on the phone with possibly the worst receptionist ever.

"No, this is serious!...Just get me in contact with Dr. Haggar now...No I don't give a damn if she is busy! This is a serious situation and if you don't get me into contact with her soon, we will both be dead!...Don't _ma'am_ me!

Keith made eye contact with his brother across the room and both of them shrugged helplessly from their hiding spots. Hunk looked like he was barely keeping it together. Keith hoped he could manage it.

He spotted Matt lying on the floor, still unconscious. If the spell hadn't been cast on him again, he might wake up at any time.

"Listen here. I am one of the most powerful magic users in the world, a disciple of Dr. Eve Haggar herself. If you don't get me into contact with her right now I will drain every bit of life from your body and use the power it gives me to clean my toilet. Do you understa-You hung up, didn't you? Dammit!"

Keith spotted Pidge and Allura enter the room as the Druid grumbled in annoyance and dialed her phone again. Pidge grinned, held up a remote, and pressed a button.

" _Lockdown initiated,_ " a robotic voice intoned as an alarm blared. The Druid dropped her phone and looked around in confusion.

"What now?!"

It was Shiro who indicated they attack, and Keith dove out of hiding.

He slashed at the Druid, only to hit a barrier of purple energy.

"Boring," she muttered, her voice smug, before the barrier shoved him away. "I thought it would be more entertaining, honestly."

Keith got back up, snarled at her, and ran at her, cleanly dodging magical attacks. Allura shouted spells that kept the Druid from focusing her full attention on Keith. Hunk tossed things at her, while Shiro and Pidge went in for their own attacks, Pidge pulling out a switch blade and actually leaving a clean divot in the mask that mirrored Shiro's.

The Druid could only focus her attention on a few at a time, and landing hits on her was easy because she constantly had to change her focus. Yet no hits were anything deep, and Keith felt a sense of dread.

Something was wrong with this. She was simply toying with them. She was humoring them basically.

Then his eyes landed on the boy, who was sneaking carefully towards Matt. And somewhere, he realized that the Druid wasn't giving them her full attention because of him.

She wasn't forgetting him.

Keith had to break through her defenses.

Before he could, she shoved everyone back with a barrier and grabbed the boy by the throat, holding him up as a human shield. Everyone ceased their attacks, not wanting to hurt him.

"Did you really think you could do anything to stop us, to save your precious friends?" she asked, her voice smug as she focused on the boy. "It is your fault they are here. If you had kept your little mouth shut, they would have blissfully continued their lives without you to hold them back. But now look. They are going to die because of you."

Keith watched the sight, looking around desperately for what to do.

"Perhaps if you wanted to be remembered so badly, you should have just let yourself die."

He winced, watching as Pidge's switchblade clattered to the ground as she realized that fighting back would hurt the boy.

The Druid didn't notice.

"It's so sad, isn't it? A poor boy who longs to be remembered, doomed to be forgotten until he dies. And there is no end for you, is there? There is no escaping this hell."

Keith stomped his foot. The Druid didn't notice.

Oh.

She must be focusing all of her attention on Lance so she wouldn't forget him. Since she didn't cast the curse, it made sense that it required more attention for her to resist it.

No barrier. No protection. She was relying on her hostage to keep anyone from acting, but she'd never see anyone coming.

Keith lifted his sword and approached, his jaw set into a scowl and eyes blazing with fury.

He was sick of this bullshit. He was sick of this game Haggar and her Druids were playing on him and his friends. He was sick of desperately watching from the sidelines as people he cared about got hurt.

He didn't remember the boy, as much as he wished he could. But he'd be damned if this guy was hurt by these people again.

The Druid didn't realize he was there until too late.

"Let him go!" Keith shouted, bringing his sword down on her arm, slicing through skin and muscle and forcing her to drop the boy, who was desperately gasping for breath. Tears were streaming down his face as he breathed heavily, fueling Keith's righteous fury even more.

Keith slashed at her again, getting her side.

"I don't give a damn what you think! You've hurt the people I care about and I will never let you touch them again!"

He didn't notice Matt shift and yawn before sitting up. He didn't notice the older boy's eyes blink open and look around at the strange and violent sight before his eyes landed on a sobbing boy on the ground. He was too focused on his ferocious attacks on the Druid.

He did hear one word though, just before he landed the finishing blow.

" _Lance!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and an epilogue left my friends.
> 
> If you want to scream in rage at me for this kinda-cliffhanger, my Tumblr is [boopboopitydoop](https://boopboopitydoop.tumblr.com).


	9. Welcome Back (AKA Lance gets a fucking break)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody said it was easy (to regain every single memory of a person all in one go).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anxiety is a bitch...anyway, on to the penultimate chapter!

Keith dropped his sword, falling to his knees. His head felt as though it had been repeatedly stabbed by every blade he had ever own.

Every memory of Lance was basically shoved into his brain all at once, in an overwhelming and painful experience. He could barely hear the Druid cursing just before she teleported away through the pounding in his skull.

Every argument, prank, fight, bonding moment, quiet conversation, hug, and so on hit him in that moment. Everything from their first meeting on was now as clear as day when seconds before he couldn't recall them if he tried. Every single moment of jealousy and pining.

The first time he saw him after the curse was cast, looking out the window of Coran's restaurant and making eye contact. Getting pied in the face. Scratching his name out of the tree.

The pain finally subsided to a dull ache, in what almost felt like an hour despite having only been a few seconds.

Lance.

He looked up at Lance, who was staring at Matt in disbelief. Matt himself was looking at the scene in shock and concern, the only person completely out of the loop.

"You...you remembered me?" Lance asked, and that snapped everyone back to reality.

"Lance!" Hunk shouted, scooping up his best friend and holding him tightly. That seemed to be the breaking point for Lance, who burst into tears.

Keith was on his feet, trying not to feel sick at the sight of blood on his sword as he picked it up and sheathed it. He'd think about what he nearly did later. For now, he had friends to be with.

* * *

The walk back to the apartment was...interesting, to say the least. They were all exhausted, looked like they had been run through a car wash dryer, and Keith had blood on him. He didn't know how much of it was his or the Druid's. He honestly didn't want to know.

When they arrived back at the apartment, everyone's phones were ringing. Keith quickly grabbed his and answered.

"Hello?"

"Keith? Oh thank god." It was Sarah McClain, Lance's mother. How had he never noticed the unnecessary contact on his phone? Never mind. The answer was magic. "Do you know where Lance is?".

"Yeah, he's at my apartment right now. Do you want me to give him the phone?"

"Could you, please?"

Keith passed Lance the phone, and Lance began speaking in Spanish to his mother, relief obvious in his voice. Keith, deciding to give his friend some privacy, headed to the living room, where Matt was getting caught up.

The boy himself was leaning against Shiro, looking a bit overwhelmed.

"How did you remember Lance?" Keith asked as he sat in the old armchair, a relic from the Shirogane house that was given to the brothers when they moved into the apartment.

Matt shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I couldn't remember him before the accident, but when I woke up I could remember everything. It must have been a while since I remembered, since I didn't experience pain."

"The sleeping spell that was cast on you probably cancelled the effects of the curse," Allura suggested. "Thace did explicitly mention that effect when explaining why you were being monitored. They were keeping you unconscious to keep you from breaking the curse."

"That makes sense," Matt agreed. He looked around, noting, "You guys look exhausted. Do you want to rest before we call Mom and Dad?"

"Mom will kill us," Pidge answered just as Shiro said, "Your mother will kill us."

"True."

Lance entered, explaining, "My parents and siblings are coming. I explained the situation to Mom and she'll contact the Holts and come up with a story to tell the police about Matt so none of us get arrested." He then added sheepishly, "It's...probably going to get pretty crowded in here."

The four roommates looked at each other and shrugged. "You haven't seen your family properly in over a year, Lance," Shiro assured him. "We can deal with a crowded apartment."

* * *

Lance hadn't been kidding. Lance's family piled into the apartment and quickly buried Lance into the largest group hug Keith had ever seen. There were tears, primarily from Lance. It was such a sweet reunion that Keith allowed himself to smile.

Colleen and Samuel Holt arrived soon after the McClain-Sanchez family did, and there was even more tears as they got to see their son conscious for the first time in over a year. Pidge cried too, though she would never admit it later.

Then came the planning stage, and Colleen and Sarah were on it. They quickly crafted a story explaining that Matt had woken up, escaped his captor, and returned to his apartment where the others had been, and Shiro gave a description of the Druid when she had been disguised as a nurse for Matt to give the police. They ironed out the story so well that Keith was thankful these two weren't criminals.

(Both made sure to tell everyone never to lie to the police again after that.)

Keith snuck off to thoroughly clean his sword at one point, not wanting to explain why he had a bloody sword to the police. When he returned, the police were already getting a statement from Matt.

After the police finished, it was recommended that Matt return to the hospital to make sure he was completely okay. Shiro and the other Holts left with him.

Soon Hunk and Coran left, though Hunk promised Lance he'd see him the moment he had time the next day. The McClain-Sanchez family headed out, and everyone hugged Lance before he left, Keith being the last one.

"See you tomorrow?" Keith asked quietly.

"Definitely."

* * *

It was both an adjustment and not at the same time. Lance notably admitted that he had to get used to having actual consequences for smaller actions again. It still surprised him to hear others use his name, or to be shown affection after a year of receiving nothing more affectionate than a handshake.

Matt was a bit distant at first, particularly with Shiro. He admitted to Keith that he felt guilty for Shiro getting hurt and losing his arm in the accident. After a week the two were more affectionate again, but Keith imagined it would be a while before Matt would consider proposing again. Keith, despite his pessimistic outlook on life, was certain that it would happen someday.

Pidge, on the bright side, was no longer killing herself with projects now that she had nothing to distract herself from. She was, if anything, more affectionate with her brother. Keith remembered his conversation with Shiro about why he always ended conversations with "I love you" and understood.

Lance's visits didn't stop, though the flirting did. Where there once was flirting was now their old banter, with teasing jabs at each other that neither thought much of, too aware of how little the other meant them. Keith, if he was completely honest though, missed the flirting a lot more than he realized.

Their relationship was still in the same limbo it had been in before, but now Keith knew that it could escape that limbo. All he had to do was act.

It was a good thing that Keith had always been someone to act when it was required.

* * *

Keith sat in the tree, his back against the names there. He checked his watch and rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his face. Late, in true Lance fashion.

He finally saw Lance approaching and waved to get his attention from his position in the branches.

Lance raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and climbed up the tree, sitting on the branch next to Keith. It took him a moment to settle into a position he found comfortable, but soon he was still, waiting for Keith to start.

"We haven't really gotten a chance to talk alone," Keith noted.

"Yeah. Everybody has been really attentive since the curse broke. I guess they're worried I'll disappear again if they leave me alone. My parents ask me where I'm going whenever I leave the house. My sister actually bought me a phone since my old one stopped working a long time ago."

Keith nodded. "That is understandable."

There was a moment of silence before Lance asked, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"The stuff that happened after you were cursed. More specifically the flirting. I knew you flirted with me after the memory spell, but now I remember and...it was a lot."

"...Oh. That." Lance looked almost ashamed. "I thought...hey, consequence-free flirting with a person who will probably never return my feelings. Of course, then you happened to have that spell cast on you that one time...I was going to confess to you that night, but I chickened out. Then I witnessed murder and, well, here we are."

Keith nodded. Then, he shifted over, allowing Lance to see the names carved into the tree.

Lance winced at his scratched out name. "I saw you, the night you scratched it out. That was when I gave up on getting freed from the curse."

"I'm sorry." He pulled his knife from his pocket and offered it to Lance.

He looked at the knife for a moment before taking it and carving his name into the tree. Again, he used lowercase letters. Keith didn't fault him for it this time.

"I never told you the big deal about this tree, did I?" Keith began.

Lance shook his head. "No."

Keith smiled softly, and gestured to his and Shiro's names. "This was our special place, from back when I was still just a foster kid. Shiro and I found this tree and carved our names into it. It became our meeting place for important discussions. We both came out to each other here, we both talked about our plans for the future. You get the point.

"Shiro asked me before inviting Allura here first. She was his best friend in high school and was practically like a sister to us. Then, years later, he brought Matt here, before the two started going out. It was a big deal to him. He brought only them because he considered them two of the most important people in his life."

Lance blinked with surprise. "Wait, so..."

Keith nodded. "We didn't start on good terms, but after a lot of time and work, I started realizing I had a crush on you. I thought it would go away, but I just fell harder. And I...I decided that you meant enough to me for me to show you this." He gestured to the tree. "This place is basically one if the most meaningful places in my life. And I wanted to share it with you, because you are one of the most important people in my life."

Lance looked about to fall out of the tree in surprise. His face was a vibrant red, though Keith imagined his was too.

"So...you mean...you like me?"

"Not quite the wording I'd use, but yes. I do. A lot."

Yes, it was Keith who initiated the conversation and everything, but Lance would be sure that everyone knew that the first kiss, in its awkward and rather innocent glory because of poor Keith's absolute lack of experience, was all him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, next up is the epilogue.
> 
> If you want to sob over how the story is nearly over with me while I panic over finishing this story, my tumblr is [boopboopitydoop](https://boopboopitydoop.tumblr.com).
> 
> Holy shit I went from being utterly stuck to being on a roll with this story. Am I dreaming? What is going on?


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It ends where it started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, make sure to read the note at the end of the epilogue! There is an announcement.

Keith Kogane sat in the booth of the restaurant, sipping his coffee as he observed the scene he was part of.

Matt and Shiro were sitting next to each other across from him, almost as if they were attempting the impossible feat of sharing the same space at the same time. Allura was teasing a brightly blushing Shiro, who was attempting to disappear into his hoodie while also trying not to disconnect himself from Matt. There were no rings on either of the two's hands, but Keith had a feeling someday Matt would consider it again.

Pidge and Hunk were sketching out blueprints on napkins, discussing their plans for their giant robot. They occasionally asked Allura or Coran when he came by about magical components to improve the performance and give it abilities it couldn't have if it were purely technical. Keith had dared to ask about it before, but after twenty minutes of Pidge's non-stop explanation and Hunk's attempt at a layman's translation, he gave up.

And next to him, holding his hand under the table, was the boy who had been so obviously missing from their group over a year ago. Lance suggested ideas to Pidge and Hunk, who considered them very seriously in their design. He also occasionally added a remark to the roast of Shiro.

None of them tried to force conversation on Keith, though occasionally Pidge and Hunk would ask his opinion on a factor, or he'd make a playful jab to his brother.

This time, Keith did feel content. All his friends were here, talking and laughing, and he felt happy.

He knew Galra was still out there. Haggar and the Druids were still free. Lance was still deciding whether or not to tell anyone else about witnessing the crime, still apprehensive due to what happened to Matt.

Keith looked at his friends and made a decision.

He'd never let anyone hurt his friends so badly again.

He squeezed Lance's hand, and Lance responded with a kiss on the cheek. Pidge pretended to be annoyed at the affection while Matt joked, "Well Shiro, looks like we're getting replaced as the disgustingly adorable couple." Hunk merely grinned proudly at his best friend, and Allura gave Keith a teasing grin.

Even with the teasing, he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet, with a vague hint at things in the future. That's how I like my epilogue.
> 
> I FUCKING FINISHED A STORY! FUCK YEAH!
> 
> Now, for the announcement!
> 
> You may notice that this story and Don't You Forget About Me are part of a series now. Isn't that strange? Also, it looks like I forgot to check the complete option.
> 
> Well, actually, I have a surprise for you guys!
> 
> **I'm going to be creating a collection of short stories set in this universe!**
> 
> Honestly, I was considering this idea before. There is so much I didn't touch upon that I have for this AU. Situations that I decided wouldn't fit, more exploration of Keith and his past. There is also so much I could do, considering that _Lance_ was living basically consequence-free for a year, and the various magical lore I've come up with. There is a ton of things I could explore, like Shiro and Matt's career before Haggar. Forensics is one of my favorite things and I never explore it much in this story, especially considering how much it would change now that magic is a thing! I didn't even go into Zarkon! Motherfucking Zarkon!
> 
> ~~There may also be some role reversal AU in there hehe.~~
> 
> Another important reason for doing this is that it negates the necessity of a proper sequel. There were so much left unfinished in this story, but I don't have the time or energy to write a sequel, not with school and the shit ton of other stories I need to work on. I haven't worked on This Is New since I figured this out and I want to finish it before Season 3 makes it obsolete, and the Bottles series has so much work to be done on it. It's a less stressful way to explore this AU at my own pace with less stress on me to update.
> 
> And finally, it's for you guys to be able to suggest things to do in this universe! If it wasn't for you guys, I never would have finished this story! So, along with this announcement, I ask that you send me prompts!
> 
> Until I have the collection itself posted, I ask that you send prompts to my tumblr, [boopboopitydoop](https://boopboopitydoop.tumblr.com). Once it is posted though, you can comment prompts.
> 
> Thank you guys! I wouldn't have managed this without your support!

**Author's Note:**

> This was me basically taking the Keith-forgot-Lance thing up to eleven, and Lance had to suffer for that. Poor Lance.
> 
> Enjoy my garbage.
> 
> Edit: Now has a companion piece: [Don't You Forget About Me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9582152). AKA I am constantly causing Lance pain.


End file.
